Great science fiction envisions and anticipates an uncertain future with equal amounts of enthusiasm and fear. While new technologies solve problems and bring great gains to quality of life, they also have a dangerous capacity to alter lives in fundamental…
In The Heights: beautifully overdone
In The Heights (at the Ordway through September 24) – despite its glitziness, its over-the-top-ness, its (extreme) loudness – beautifully invokes the heat, the funk, the grit of a New York City summer. Better than anything I can think of…
Fool For Love: first in a series of productions of plays by the late great Sam Shepard
Dark And Stormy‘s theater (an out-of-the-way converted office space at 77 13th St. N.E.) is cramped and stuffy, and the cheap chairs’ll numb your ass in five minutes flat. In other words, it’s my kind of space. I love…
Native Gardens: An Insightful, Uproarious Social Satire
In many ways, this moment in American history feels like a pressure cooker. Due to the heightened rhetoric surrounding certain not-to-be-named public figures, social mores are being tested more regularly and many interactions seem one false step from open conflict.…
American Players Theatre: gas up your old car and go
If you are looking for a theatre adventure this summer–or next—you won’t find a better location or value than at Wisconsin’s American Players Theatre. Located in Spring Green just west of Madison, APT has been impressing theatre goers with excellent…
Idiot’s Delight: a lovely rendering of this chestnut
The (unfortunately) late Archie Leyasmeyer would likely be the chair of the Girl Friday Productions board of directors. As one or two of you perhaps know, Archie taught (at the U) a survey of dramatic literature focusing on the kinds…
Circus 1903: Step right up!
Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls Circus 1903 is in town. And what a fine circus it is. Couched in the conceit of an old fashioned big top entertainment from the turn of the last century Circus 1903: The Golden…
Sunday In The Park With George: an affecting portrait of the artistic impulse
The design! The Guthrie‘s Sunday In The Park With George features richly fab work by projection designer Caite Hevner and by lighting designer Jane Cox. Their Sunday is gloriously, breath-takingly, mesmerizingly colorful. I’m unsure where the lighting leaves off and…
An American in Paris: a romantic spectacle lacking heart
The large Ordway stage feels almost built for big, spectacular looking shows like An American in Paris, the new Broadway tour running there through June 18. It’s a massive space that many have had trouble filling, but this new musical…
Fly By Night: Cute with a capital Q
Pity the poor critic at the Jungle‘s zippy production of Fly By Night. Look at him, bent dyspeptically over his stained notebook, scrawling Scrooge-isms like, “convoluted,” “clichèd,” “cutesy.” Ish. I don’t wanna continue in this vein and you don’t want…
Rent: a super-appealing show about AIDS, addiction and underemployment. Go!
There’s a love fest happening this week in downtown Minneapolis where the Tony and Pulitzer prize winning musical, Rent, is playing. Most of the people in the Orpheum theatre on opening night knew all the words to the songs, and…
365 Days/365 Plays: a breezy and enjoyable collection of skits
Full Circle Theater Company, presenter of Suzan-Lori Parks‘s refreshingly unpretentious 365 Days/365 Plays, lists, in the program, “Co-Artistic Directors” – Rick Shiomi and Martha B. Johnson. As well as a “Core Artistic Group” – James A. Williams, Stephanie Lein Walseth…